Biography of Abraham Coffin, 1803-1876

Abraham Coffin was born in Albany county near Bethlehem, February 15th 1803. When he was quite young, his father, Isaac Coffin, moved to Acra and bought a farm adjoining what is now known as the Timothy Webster farm, and there kept a hotel which was quite a resort for the enlisted soldiers at the beginning of the war of 1812. Abraham lived with his father, assisting him in the hotel and on the farm. He acquired a fair education at the public schools, which he made good use of in after life.

On the 11th of December 1823, he married Mabel, daughter of Timothy Webster of Acra. She was born October 30th 1800. Seven children were the issue of this marriage; William, born October 4th 1824; Isaac, born January 25th 1826; Reuben, born December 20th 1827; Angeline, born December 22nd 1829; Caroline, born July 5th 1831; Adeline, born April 15th 1833; and Edwin, born February 7th 1838. Not long after his marriage, he moved to Roxbury, New York, and continued farming. He subsequently moved to Windham, and bought a farm of 216 acres, put up a mill, and started the lumber business. He was very successful at this, and continued there for nearly 20 years, when he sold the farm and lumber business, removed to Acra, and purchased his father-in-law's farm consisting of 125 acres which formed a part of the Barker Patent. Here he was equally successful and soon had one of the best farms in the county. In politics he was a staunch whig, and subsequently a republican.

He was very popular in the community and might have held office had he been disposed, but preferred to give his whole attention to his farming interests. He was honest and upright in all his dealings. His wife died in 1852, and he afterward married Mary Foote. She died in 1866 without issue. In 1868 he married Maria, daughter of Ebenezer and Mary Finch, and she was his devoted companion during the remainder of his life. She was born March 12th 1817. After the death of Mr. Coffin, which occurred December 29th 1868, she married Theodore VanTassell, June 8th 1883. Mr. VanTassell's former wife was Vilitta Rockwell, daughter of Martin and Abigail Rockwell, and of this union were born eight children: Annie, Martin, Eliza I, Burns, Alida, Newman, Rhodelle, and Emma; six of these are now living. Mrs, Vilitta VanTassell died in Cairo, September 7th 1881.

The children of Ebenezer and Mary Finch were: Eliza, Maria, Ruth Ann, Abigail, Marrietta, John C., Sarah A., and Angeline. Of these, Maria and Ruth Ann alone survive.

William T., eldest son of Abraham Coffin, was born in Cairo, October 4th 1824. When four years old, he moved with his parents to Roxbury, Delaware county, and remained four years, when he removed to Big Hollow, in the town of Windham, where he lived for twenty years. He then removed to Middle Valley, in the town of Cherry Ridge, Wayne county, Pennsylvania, and remained for nearly 24 years in the employ of S. A. Robertson & Co., tanners. In the spring of 1876 he went to Warren, Pennsylvania, where he is now residing, and extensively engaged in the tannery business. On September 30 1862, he was married to Jane M. Knapp, at the house of Walter Knapp, in Cairo, Greene county. She died at the residence of her sister, Mrs. Thomas Churnges, in Orange, New Jersey, July 12th 1871. Mr. Coffin married Julia Hitchcock, at the home of her sister, Mrs. F. P. Sargent, Brooklyn, N.Y., November 28th 1882. She died April 5th 1883, and Mr. Coffin's family now consists of his two daughters, Mabel Anna and Florence Warring.

The second son of Abraham, Isaac A., married Mary E. Runyan, of Windham, February 5th 1852. She was the daughter of Stephen Runyan, of Cairo, and Margaret Allen, of the town of Broome, Schoharie county. Margaret Allen, the mother of Mary E. Coffin, was the daughter of Jacob Allen and Phoebe McKinsey, who had 18 children, 12 of whom have married and raised children, and each year there was a large gathering of them at the old homestead.

Isaac A. and Mary E. Coffin had one child, Melford, born October 14th 1856. He was a steady, faithful boy, and remained with his father on the farm. On the 16th of May 1883, he married Dora, daughter of Ezekiel Thomas and Sarah Thompson.

The parents of Mary E. Coffin were Stephen Runyan, of the town of Cairo, Greene county, New York, and Margaret Allen, of Broome, Schoharie county, New York; to them were born two children, George Addison and Mary E. Stephen Runyan died July 24th 1830, and George Addison, his son, died March 28th 1883.

The grandparents of Mary E. Coffin were Evin Runyan and Deborah Worth. They had 9 children, only one of whom, Deborah, aged 84 years, who was the wife of Elisha Shore, is now living. She resides at Cairo.

Reuben, the third son of Abraham Coffin, married Catharine Olmstead, and has two children, Amanda and William. Angelina, the daughter of Abraham Coffin, married John Spelman. They have 9 children: Evalyne S., Charles W., John L., Amasa B., Arabell A., William C., Katie D., Jennie M., And George H.

Caroline, daughter of Abraham Coffin, married Nelson Lennon. They have two children, Mary and Jennie.

Adeline, daughter of Abraham Coffin, married Dorr Olmstead. They have nine children, viz: Henry, Alverette, Isabell, Edgar, William, Frederick, Lincoln, James, And Minnie.

Edwin, the youngest child of Abraham Coffin, died in 1852.